I don’t have money to run for president – Amidu

The Special Prosecutor nominee, Martin Amidu says he has no intentions to run for president of Ghana.

He said he does not have the resources and personnel required to undertake the task but even if he did, he would not run because he is content with the status he has attained in life.

"I was running mate in 2000 and if I had presidential ambitions, it would have been seen already. I don’t even have money to bring people here and feed them, how will I go and want to be president,” he responded to a question asked by Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful Tuesday, during his vetting for the office of the Special Prosecutor.

Mr Amidu is known for his intolerance for corruption, thievery and the abuse of office by public officers.

Despite coming close to the presidency, his interest in the highest office of the land has not been known.

The Communications Minister perhaps, only tried her luck at what might have been the biggest and possibly most explosive news of the year.

In his response to the question that got almost all members of Parliament’s Appointment Committee in stitches, Mr Amidu said the thought is yet to cross his mind.

“I have lived a life in government for 20 something years with nothing to write home about, so I am not the type who has the resources to run for president. Where I am going to mobilise from?”

“So for now, I don’t have any ambitions,” he said, adding with a quote from Macbeth “Nobody can see into the speed of time to see which seed will grow and which will not.”

Mr Amidu said although people have impressed upon him to run as an independent candidate a number of times, he always declined.

“I told them I wouldn’t do what is not possible…I am happy about my status because that was the promise we gave when we came to power,” he indicated.